SO-CALLED FANCY RABBITS 39 



common. It is very difficult to give a com- 

 prehensive description of the color, except to 

 say that it is a bluish black through which 

 white hairs are scattered so as to produce the 

 silver effect. The feet and tail should match 

 the body color. The rabbits vary in shading 

 according to the number of light colored 

 hairs, so that they may be called light silvers 

 or dark silvers. The principal point in breed- 

 ing is to obtain an even distribution of the 

 silvering all over the body. A good colored 

 specimen resembles a gray squirrel in color. 



Silver Fawns, Silver Blues and Silver 

 Browns are shown to some extent. All of 

 them are crosses from the original Silver 

 Gray. The Silver Browns seem to have come 

 from England, and the Silver Fawns from 

 France. Argent de Champagne, sometimes 

 called Champagne Silver, is another French 

 member of this class, and is valued especially 

 for its fur. It has a deep under color of blue, 

 and a mixture of black and white hairs. A 

 considerable representation is now to be found 

 in America. They make an unusual appear- 

 ance, and are likely to become popular, espe- 

 cially if a demand for their fur develops. 



